Out and about

Taking your fave pony out to a hired arena is great for boosting your, and his, confidence. Not only will he get to see and experience a new environment, but you can also put your riding skills into practice without the pressure of competing! However, arena hire comes at a cost so here’s how you can maximise your session. 

Do your research

Spend a bit of time researching all the facilities at the venue. You might find there’s a safe, secure area where you can walk your pony around for a few minutes before your session, which means you may be able to get ahead with your warm-up!

Timekeeping

Plan to be early for your session. You probably won’t be able to stay longer if you’re late, so give yourself plenty of time to get there, work out your surroundings and tack up before your session begins. Some things don’t always go to plan with ponies – for example, your pony might take longer than expected to load – so allow extra time to make sure you’re not late! 

Top tip

While schooling at home, think about ways you can maximise your warm-up without rushing it so when you hire an arena, you don’t have to spend lots of time trying different exercises to get your pony in the zone. 

Focus your session

Have a think about what you want to achieve from your arena hire session before the day. Are you going because you want to practise riding through your dressage test, or maybe you want to refine your course-jumping skills? Either way, putting a plan in place for your session means you can crack on when you get there. 

Take an extra helper

You might decide to have a lesson when hiring an arena, and that’s a great way to get the most out of your session! But, if not, try to take along a friend for an extra pair of hands (as well as a parent!) – it’ll be super-helpful having someone else on the ground to move poles, set up jumps and even video your ride! 

Stay on track

Time flies when you’re having fun and it’s likely you’ll reach the end of your session before you know it! So, to make sure you complete your goals, ask your helper to keep an eye on the time for you – maybe they could give you a warning when you’ve only got 15 minutes left. That way, you’ll be able to finish on a good note and cool your pony down before your time is up.